Chapter 9 : Commitment
Morning came with Grey’s whistle at six AM. Cold showers, breakfast, mandatory chores before school. Javier moved through routines on autopilot, his mind focused on the decision that would determine everything.
Group therapy session happened after breakfast. Dr. Elena Vasquez led seventeen kids through weekly emotional check-ins, trying to prevent the kind of explosions that sent residents to juvenile detention.
"Javier’s turn," Dr. Vasquez said, consulting her notes. "How are you feeling this week?"
Usually he gave one-word answers. Fine. Okay. Whatever. Today felt different.
"Better than usual," Javier said. "More focused, I guess."
"That’s good to hear. What’s contributing to this change?"
"Found something I might be good at. Boxing. Tried it for the first time yesterday."
Dr. Vasquez leaned forward with interest. "How did that go?"
"Really well. The trainer said I have natural ability. There’s this tournament - Golden Gloves - that I could register for."
"That sounds like a significant opportunity. How are you feeling about it?"
"Nervous. Excited. Scared I might mess it up." Javier shifted in his chair. "It’s the first time something felt... possible."
"What draws you to boxing specifically?"